It was May 14, 1987 at 8:30 a.m. Lassonde’s senior management team could hardly contain their excitement as they gathered at the Montreal Stock Exchange (today merged with the Toronto Stock Exchange as the TMX Group). Lassonde was going public.

The Rougemont company was in step with the movement that began with the creation of the Régime d’épargne action du Québec (Quebec’s stock savings plan) in 1979. This was aimed at generating venture capital for Quebec companies while offering tax breaks on money invested in those companies. This made investing in Quebec businesses attractive and rewarding for individuals and companies alike.

Selling a small part of its shares gave Lassonde access to the millions of dollars it needed to reduce its real estate debt, extend its product line, expand its production capacity, and maintain state-of-the-art facilities. A number of employees acquired shares, while the Lassonde family remained the majority shareholder of Aristide’s legacy.

This carefully considered decision brought Lassonde greater recognition. “Whenever a business went public, it attracted media attention and became better known,” recalled René Délisle, a consultant at the time with the firm that is now Deloitte Canada. The rules for publically traded companies also drove Lassonde to develop a stronger organizational structure.

Overall, it was in many respects a profitable decision for the Company, which enjoyed steady growth in the following decades.

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